Though he had always been competent, his capabilities stood out more since he had broken free from the mansion.

He wasn’t the kind of person who would ruin things by showing compassion to those who needed to be controlled with force, so there was no need to worry that the news of her pregnancy would spread.

Walter also heard Cassius’s report satisfactorily and added,

“And your uncle Philip seems to have made a mistake in a drunken state.”

“Uncle Philip?”

Though Walter had mentioned the mistake, Cassius continued the explanation.

“It seems he wandered around drunk in this weather and fell into the hands of an unscrupulous farmer who offered him a night’s shelter.”

“He fell for it?”

“Upon investigation, it appears he agreed to work there until his death, in exchange for room and board but with unpaid labor.”

“…….”

What had Walter been up to in that short time? Edith looked at him with a mixture of surprise and admiration at the jewel-like working conditions.

“That man only made one more mistake while drunk, and it’s not your fault.”

Walter concluded neatly.

It’s high time he learned to work diligently after a lifetime of exploiting others.

The idea that the uncle who had sold me off to the mansion wouldn’t ever leave that farm sounded somewhat electrifying, so Edith also responded with a small laugh.

“Indeed. He might unexpectedly be a good fit for farming.”

In addition, Cassius reported that he was smoothly looking into the residence where they would stay in the capital, and had secured a carriage and escort to move the belongings to the capital.

Hearing his report, Edith could truly feel how much Walter was preparing for their departure to the capital a few days later.

“Let’s go to the capital together, Edith. I’ll take care of everything, so you don’t have to worry.”

Realizing he was making an effort to keep his promise to me, a warm feeling spread inside her chest.

‘I hope to be safe during the stay.’
As she briefly wondered what events would unfold in the capital, Edith spotted a man rushing towards them from beyond the horizon.

“Madam Edith! Walter! Cassius!”

The one hastily calling the group was Max, Helen’s lieutenant and escort knight. That Helen, now a viscountess of Fortrion, had urgently sent someone was rather surprising.

Moving to a well-soundproofed conference room, Max gulped down water before opening his mouth.

“I rushed here, fearing you might have already left Fortrion territory. Something significant has just occurred.”

“Something significant?”

At Edith’s inquiry, Max stuck out his tongue.

“Please, the Emperor has unexpectedly sent an envoy to Fortrion. The viscountess is to go to the capital, meet with the Emperor, and report on the events that have occurred in her territory.”

“The Emperor has sent someone to Fortrion?”

She couldn’t help but be surprised. To the Emperor and the central nobility, Fortrion was just one of many provincial territories not worth worrying about.

If the Emperor, known to be sickly, had gone out of his way to send someone to such a Fortrion, then…

“Perhaps they want to scrutinize the issue because the lordship changed in an unconventional manner?”

In reality, while Helen was a half-sibling, she had inherited Fortrion blood, so receiving the title instead of the heirless Nicholas wasn’t particularly strange. However—

“There was an incident during the succession where the locals seized the lord’s castle, which could look like a form of rebellion.”

Edith highly valued Helen for standing against corrupt powers with the locals.

But that was from her perspective as a Fortrion local; the higher-ups would not look favorably upon Helen’s succession.

Edith remembered the fury and shouts of the locals pouring in like a tide that day. Despite Walter being by her side, her heart had pounded uncontrollably, the rough voices making it hard to calm down. Even I, who knew and observed the whole situation, felt that way—how precarious must it have looked from the outside?

People with much to lose would not view such popular uprisings favorably.

“In these provincial territories, there are many fallen nobles. If they all were to be judged by the masses like in Fortrion, it would threaten the ruling system. So they likely want to summon Helen to confirm whether she is a lawful heir and poses no threat.”

Max internally thought, looking at Edith who easily speculated the Emperor’s intentions.
‘So that’s why Lady Helen and Lady Isabelle asked for Lady Edith to come along.’

After receiving the letter, Helen summoned Max shortly after to confirm whether Edith had not yet left the territory.

When Max first heard the order, he asked Helen what she was thinking by calling for Edith.

“Going with a Lady who has inherited the authority of the ancestral Viscount gives the impression of a smooth transfer of power, so we must take along one of the Ladies.”

“What about proposing to Lady Isabelle? She’s the last one to stay at the mansion, and she happens to be stopping by the viscount’s residence to pick up the sculptures that Nicolas gifted.”

At this, Helen gave a meaningful smile.

“I already asked Isabelle first, but she said that Edith would be more suitable for a situation where quick wit and judgement might be needed.”

When Helen said this, Max was slightly puzzled, but hearing Edith’s clear response, he nodded.

It seemed to him that Edith would be the greatest help to Helen at this time.

“Lady Helen, or should I say the Viscountess, has requested that Lady Edith accompany her to the capital.”

“A request?”

Edith blinked her eyes slowly. If she were to accompany Helen, who had received the royal decree, many escorts would be joining them, so the safety issues she had been concerned about would be mostly resolved.

‘It’s me who should be thankful for being called, and they’re calling it a request?’

“Max, I think maybe—”

But before she could voice her thought, Max abruptly cut her off.

“Please think positively, my Lady. I will tell you about the rewards that Lady Helen has offered for your company.”

Rewards too?

Edith didn’t know how to react, so she quietly listened to Max.